AUGUSTA, Maine – The pandemic has exposed the benefits of telemedicine – but advocates fear some providers in Maine may not be able to offer it in the long term.
While insurance companies are required to cover telehealth, providers are not always reimbursed at the same rates as for in-person care.
Lynn Stanley, executive director of the Maine chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, said lower reimbursements could prevent providers from offering telehealth – although this has become essential for many people facing a lack of health. child care, transportation or other limiting factors.
“We are concerned that mental health care providers cannot afford to provide telehealth services to their clients,†Stanley said. “If insurance companies lower the reimbursement rate when a service is provided by telehealth, it becomes financially unsustainable for the therapist or agency.”
Some states, like neighboring New Hampshire, have laws requiring insurers to cover telehealth at the same rates, but Stanley noted that Maine is not one of them. And even in reimbursement parity states, the requirement does not apply to self-insured health plans offered at many companies.
Richard Cantz is the CEO of Goodwill Northern New England, which offers self-insured health plans and chooses to reimburse telehealth services at the same rates as in-person care.
He said it increases accessibility – especially in a state like Maine, where over 60% of the population lives in rural areas.
“This is particularly important in our rural territory,†Cantz said. “Transportation and other barriers to health care exist. So that really made the decision easier for us. It was so important, both for accessibility and fairness, to our employees and those we serve. “
He added that others may not have time to take time off work.
Reimbursement parity advocates urge other companies to also cover telehealth at the same rate if they offer self-insurance plans.
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DENVER – Sunday marked the start of National week of health centers, a chance to highlight the important contributions made by hospitals and safety clinics in Colorado and across the country that serve all residents, regardless of their ability to pay.
Polly Anderson, vice president of funding and strategy for the Colorado Community Health Network, said centers were scrambling for multiple challenges last year. brought by COVID.
She said the Colorado centers have shown tremendous adaptability in continuing to care for patients.
“And real-time innovation to adapt technology,†Anderson said, “to change their staffing practices, to focus on access and patient safety, and to develop new community partnerships amidst many upheavals and changes during the pandemic. “
The switch to telehealth – which involved overcoming significant technical and procedural challenges – allowed patients to access care safely, while protecting staff.
Anderson said all of this work now means more of the state’s residents will be able to access healthcare, especially patients in rural areas and those without smartphones or high-speed internet. .
But she warned that some of the telehealth services implemented during the pandemic were likely to expire soon, unless federal policymakers act.
For patients unable to make it to clinics, one center was able to provide primary and behavioral health care to people living outside and in shelters by expanding their street medicine programs.
“And equipped nurses,” said Anderson, “who know the people, who know people who live on the streets – and have sent them with a backpack that includes technology to connect them in real time to a provider.”
Anderson said it was easy to highlight the technological innovations made during COVID, but noted that it was the staff who truly rose to the occasion. Everyone contributed where they could, whether it was helping set up makeshift outdoor testing and treatment tents, or going to find the curbside pharmacy.
“It was the people behind this who made these rapid innovations possible and allowed health centers to maintain access,” Anderson said. “This kind of quick thinking and redeployment has made it possible for a lot of people to work in the communities of our state.”
Disclosure: The Colorado Community Health Network contributes to our fund for reporting on health issues, poverty issues, smoking prevention and
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RIVERTON, Wyoming. – Wyoming health professionals urge state lawmakers to act before it’s too late to take advantage of a pandemic-related financial incentive to expand Medicaid coverage.
the American rescue plan would provide an additional $ 54 million in state coffers, to finance expansion but also to invest in priorities such as education and infrastructure.
Jan Cartwright, executive director of the Wyoming Primary Care Association, said that in addition to giving 24,000 people access to health insurance, the move would bring some relief to the state budget.
“When you have more people in the health insurance pool, everyone is healthier,†Cartwright said. “I think it’s a Wyoming value that we’re seeing more people having access to health care, which really increases productivity, it increases the ability of families to thrive.”
A recent Bill sponsored by the Joint Revenue Committee would give Governor Mark Gordon permission to discuss expansion options with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Opponents have long argued that Wyoming does not need federal help to care for its residents, and have warned the state would bear additional costs if the Affordable Care Act is never dismantled.
Cartwright noted that about 70% of people who would qualify for expanded coverage already have at least one job, but work in industries that do not provide health benefits. She highlighted data showing that the expansion would also improve health outcomes for mothers and infants.
“About half of new hires, if we were to expand Medicaid, are working women under 35,†Cartwright said. “And currently our state has one of the highest uninsured rates in the country for women of childbearing age. “
Supporters also say hospitals, often the largest employers in rural areas, would benefit from the expansion because they wouldn’t be stuck with millions of dollars in unmatched care costs when patients without coverage can’t pay. their bills.
Cartwright added that insured people are also more likely to seek preventive care, which would mean less expensive trips to emergency rooms.
“We know that emergencies are the most expensive way to get health care, and a lot of people who don’t have health insurance end up in the emergency room,” Cartwright observed. “The expansion of Medicaid would really support the entire health care system.”
Disclosure: The Wyoming Primary Care Association contributes to our reporting fund on budget policy and priorities, consumer issues, and
health issues. If you would like to help support the news in the public interest, click here.
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LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Arkansans is well aware that the state is experiencing one of the worst outbreaks of the delta COVID variant in the country – but it is also seeing a sharp increase in vaccinations.
Friday, the Arkansas Department of Health reported nearly 2,800 new cases of COVID – but also more than 11,000 doses of vaccine administered, at least double from the previous month.
Dr Creshelle Nash, medical director of health equity and public programs for the Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, said it was important to keep trying to get as many people vaccinated as possible to avoid an increase more important.
“I think there are mainly two groups of people that we can reach in Arkansas, which the data tells us,†said Nash, “those who wait and see†and who need to continue to educate about the effects. possible secondary. There are people who are still very concerned about this, and rightly so. But we have to give people credible information, and we will continue to do so. “
Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield are leading an educational initiative, called “Vaccinate the natural state“, so that more Arkansans are protected against COVID-19. The state says more than 42% of residents over the age of 12 are now fully vaccinated.
Beatriz Mondragon, grants coordinator and program manager for the Arkansas Minority Health Commission, said they have also seen demand for vaccines start to rise again at their community clinics across the state.
She said they have focused on hosting clinics in places like churches and food banks, to better serve hard-to-reach communities.
“It’s important at this point to target the whole state and be able to bring these resources to rural communities,†Mondragon said. “Because they have these barriers, transportation, not a lot of resources available there, health resources available there. So we want to meet people where they are.”
Arkansas Minority Health is running an immunization clinic today from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Mission Outreach of Northeast Arkansas in Greene County. Other vaccine sites are online at ‘arminorityhealth.com. ‘
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